


I Think You Know Me

by EternallyEC



Category: Victorious (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, F/M, Fake Marriage, Jori - Freeform, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Series, Slow Burn, a little sad to start out with, but will end up happy I promise, more like frenemies to lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-01
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-02-28 10:42:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22968679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EternallyEC/pseuds/EternallyEC
Summary: It's been five years since the Hollywood Arts gang graduated and a lot of things have changed for Jade West, but actually looking forward to a chance to see Tori Vega may be the weirdest change of all.- OR -Beck and Jade have been separated for two years but are still pretending to be happily married for the sake of their careers. But can Jade keep up the charade when she comes face-to-face with Tori Vega for the first time in three years and they start becoming close?
Relationships: Beck Oliver/Jade West (mentioned), Tori Vega/Jade West
Comments: 14
Kudos: 119





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [velveteenvamp](https://archiveofourown.org/users/velveteenvamp/gifts).



> Hey again! So, I finished Victorious for the first time today and I have been dying to dip my toes into writing for Jade more. I'm pretty late to the Jori train, really only jumping on with Tori and Jade's Playdate and pedaling backwards from there, but I'm so in love with them now. 
> 
> I expected my first lengthy story to be Beck and Jade or Cat and Jade, but here we are instead and I have no regrets. I was heating up a macaroni and cheese TV dinner when this popped into my head and I just had to write it. The rating is mostly cautionary, but we'll see! 
> 
> Please let me know what you think!

If there was anything in life that Jade West had learned through experience after experience, it was that life sucked and nothing was fair.

She’d once thought that she’d found the exception in Beck Oliver. Quiet, calm, and collected, he was the polar opposite of Jade’s hurricane-like personality and he grounded her in a way that no one else ever had, making her feel safe and secure enough to reveal more of herself to him than she had ever shown anyone before.

When he had proposed to her just months after graduation, she’d said yes with less hesitation than she’d thought she would and they’d been married a year later. Everyone in their friends’ circle from Hollywood Arts had been there, the last time they’d all gathered in one place in the five years since graduation.

But now, all of that was over, she thought ruefully as she scrawled her signature on yet another piece of paper. Her wrist was starting to cramp from all of the documents she’d signed so far but the pain was nothing compared to knowing that she and Beck were over, for good this time.

It had been mostly mutual, though Beck had been the first one to bring it up.

“ _Jade,” Beck said softly, looking as sad and as sorry as she’d ever seen him._

“ _Don’t,” she warned, holding a finger up and taking a deep breath, trying to think through the rage that still came so instinctively to her. “Just… give me a minute,” she added, her voice quieter this time._

_If she was honest with herself, Jade had known this was coming and though every part of her screamed at her to be angry, to rage at Beck for daring to leave her again, she knew that wasn’t fair. Beck had done everything he could to make their relationship work, as had she, and it had for a while._

_They’d had a few very good years but now, everything was crumbling back into what it had been the first time he’d left her and she knew there was no fixing it this time._

“ _I know what you’re going to say,” she said softly, hating herself for the tears she could feel welling up in her eyes and angrily brushing them away. “And you don’t have to, I know you’re right.”_

_It took everything in her to remind herself of what she’d learned in her years of therapy about controlling her rage and the way she thought about herself in that moment. She felt as worthless and unlovable as she ever had as she stood there, looking at her husband and knowing that he was leaving her, that she’d be alone again._

Of course, that wasn’t exactly how things had gone down.

She and Beck had waited a few days to try to settle things between themselves before going to their publicists.

In the years since they’d graduated from Hollywood Arts, Beck and Jade had become something of _the_ power couple in Hollywood, with Jade writing and often directing hit films, mostly in the horror genre, and Beck often starring in both Jade’s and other films. Although Jade had initially balked at the idea of hiring a publicist for herself, Beck had soon talked her into it and she’d never been more grateful for it than when she tried to figure out how to tell the world that she and Beck were divorcing.

That gratefulness lasted for approximately thirty seconds into the conversation, which was when Kathleen had told her that divorce wasn’t in the cards.

“I’m sorry, Kathleen, but it sounds like you’re trying to tell me that I’m not _allowed_ to divorce Beck,” Jade deadpanned, giving Kathleen her trademark glare and taking great satisfaction when the woman visibly flinched. “But I know that can’t be right because _nobody_ tells me what to do.”

“Of course not,” she stammered, her hands shaking as she flipped through the pages of her notebook. “But Mr. Oliver’s publicist and I have talked about this eventuality and came up with a contingency plan that we’d hoped to put into action if this day ever came.”

Jade scoffed. “So you two _assumed_ we’d break up eventually, is that it?” she asked angrily.

“Of course not!” Kathleen hurried to assure her. “It’s just that… Our job is to make sure that both of you maintain the best public image possible and a large part of that is staying ahead of the game, thinking at least five steps ahead, if you will.”

“Uh-huh, whatever,” Jade rolled her eyes, getting a handle on her temper and leaning back in the chair.

“Both of you are quite popular on your own merits, of course, but there’s no denying that yours and Beck’s popularity mutually benefit from your relationship,” Kathleen explained meekly. “It keeps you visible, something writers and directors often struggle with, and it gives Beck a bit of stability that makes him attractive to more age ranges.”

“Get to the _point_ ,” Jade ordered, not liking where this was going at all.

“When we were discussing the possibility of this day coming, both Elizabeth and I thought that it might be in both of your best interests to remain married,” Kathleen told her. “Put on a show for the public while living your separate lives when you’re alone, of course.”

“Are you serious?” Jade scoffed, shaking her head. “There’s no way, I’m not doing that and neither will Beck.”

“You might be surprised, Ms. West,” Kathleen smiled, not unkindly. “It’s your life, of course; I’m just trying to do what you pay me to do. But you don’t have to answer now, or anytime soon really. Go home, talk it over with Beck and just let me know what your decision is.”

“Yeah, great, thanks,” Jade said with a roll of her eyes, standing up and heading for the door. Pausing just as she reached it, she turned around to nod at Kathleen. “Seriously, thanks,” she said before disappearing through it.

~ ~ ~

“Are you _kidding me?!”_ Jade screeched, staring at Beck in horrified fury. He might as well have asked her to murder someone with the level of rage she was feeling, but what he'd actually done was _so much worse._

“Jade, just listen to me, please,” he said calmly. “You know that I wouldn’t ask you this, but Elizabeth showed me the numbers--”

“I don’t give a damn about your numbers, Beck,” she interrupted, her voice quiet but firm. “This is _my life_ you’re screwing around with. You can’t seriously think that you have any right to ask me to do this.”

“Of course I don’t think that,” Beck sighed, shaking his head. “I hate myself for even asking, Jade.”

“Then why are you?” Jade asked softly, hating herself just a little for letting him see her vulnerability. She still missed how easy it had once been to open up to him and let him see her, insecurities and all, but she knew that it would never be that way again. Too much had happened between them and she always felt dangerously exposed when she slipped now.

“Because I’m selfish,” he sighed. “You’re Jade West, everybody knows your name. Do you think they know my name? I’m just the hot guy who’s married to Jade West and works in most of your movies.”

“Beck...”

“Please, don’t apologize or anything like that,” he smiled weakly. “I don’t regret anything about us, Jade, you have to believe that. I love how successful and well-known you’ve become, you’ve always deserved for people to know how amazing you are.”

Jade swallowed hard and blinked, trying to pretend like she wasn’t near tears again. “Damn it, Beck,” she grumbled, but it was half-hearted at best.

“And it doesn’t have to be forever,” he said, taking a step closer. “I’ll start taking on separate projects, maybe chase some of my own ambitions,” he smiled and she could feel herself starting to give in. “If we do this, then I want us both to be able to get out anytime we want to,” he added softly.

“Anytime?” she asked.

“Anytime,” he confirmed with a nod, reaching out to touch her arm but letting his arm fall back to his side when she shook her head. “You don’t even have to tell me why if you don’t want to.”

Jade sighed as she studied his face, the face that she’d memorized so thoroughly over their years together that she could see it anytime she wanted. “Okay,” she relented, crossing her arms over her chest. “It’s not like we have anyone else to drag into this mess,” she muttered, thoughts of her own fucked-up childhood drifting through her mind.

~ ~ ~

And that was how Jade West had come to be sitting in a lawyer’s office two years later, signing contract after contract to finalize the lease of her and Beck’s newest home in Hollywood.

There was nothing like coming home again, she thought disdainfully as she finally signed the last contract and accepted the keys the lawyer dropped into her hand. After years of living in LA, she and Beck had both agreed that they wanted to move back closer to their roots, and how they had.

Hollywood Arts was actually visible from “their” (really Jade’s) bedroom’s balcony and although she had rolled her eyes and scoffed at the sight of it, she’d secretly snuck back up to it while Beck talked the real estate agent’s ear off about the kitchen and the tiniest of smiles had crossed her face at the sight of it.

Closing her fist over the keys, Jade smiled again as she stood up and left the office, ready to go home and continue work on her latest project. She’d already received multiple advances on the script and as soon as the nearly-completed revisions were done, casting would begin.

And though she’d never admit it to anyone, there was a part that she’d written specifically for someone she’d never expected to want to see again. But she’d followed Tori Vega’s career ever since their last, mostly-civil meeting at her and Beck’s wedding and much to her surprise, she’d found herself almost missing her sometimes.

Sure, the annoyingly peppy and touchy brunette had annoyed the crap out of her for the most part, but there had been good moments too. Tori could always be counted on to help if the situation was dire enough for Jade to ask, and she’d never hesitated. Much like Beck, Jade had often suspected that Tori might know her better than she had any right to but rather than scaring her, it’d made Jade feel… almost safe.

Stranger things had happened, she mused as she pulled into the driveway of her new home and got out. Going into the house, she quickly shed her clothes in favor of sweatpants and a black tank top before pulling out her laptop and setting to work, ignoring her own eagerness to get it done so that she could possibly have an excuse to see Tori again.

So sure, sometimes life sucked and nothing was fair… but sometimes, life was also full of surprises.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um, wow. I'm really, really sorry that it's taken me so long to get this next chapter up! I don't have any excuses except that I keep getting attacked by plot bunnies and this month has been crazy. But I've talked enough about the latter, so I'd just like to assure you all that I absolutely plan to finish this and if any of you are still around, thank you for your patience! I'm hoping to get on a regular posting schedule with this one soon.

Luckily for Jade, Beck had been true to his word and had been working on more and more solo projects, giving her plenty of time alone as he traveled for work. That also meant that she had the new house entirely to herself for the foreseeable future and  _ that  _ meant plenty of free time to write with few distractions. 

Even she was surprised when she finished revising her script within two weeks, a new record for herself. She sent it off to the appropriate people and decided to busy herself with getting the house decorated while she waited for the green light for the project to move ahead, knowing that it could take anywhere from a few days to a few months. 

She didn’t bother with much of the house, only focusing on her bedroom and office as they were the two rooms where she’d be spending most of her time. She bought a new bedroom set with curtains and a throw rug to match the deep purple she’d had the room painted, but she never did have a chance to get to the office because she got the greenlight the day after she finished the bedroom. 

Negotiating the terms of her contract had always been a breeze for Jade. After all, no one could ever claim that she didn’t know exactly what she wanted and went for it, and the fact that most people were still scared of her didn’t hurt either. So it was with little surprise but definite satisfaction that she took her agent’s phone call a few days after putting in her terms and was told that most of her requests had been granted, the important ones. She had always found it a useful tactic to throw in a few things that weren’t important just to give them something to say no to and feel like they were earning their sinful paychecks, and it usually worked. 

One of her conditions that never changed and was always approved was that she was able to give first picks for casting. She knew full-well that the only reason she was allowed this was because she’d proven that it was a deal-breaker, having walked away from a very lucrative deal a few years before when they’d tried to call her bluff. They’d begged her back soon enough, and no one had dared to try it since. 

Anyone she wanted for the role would be given first chance at auditioning and she also had veto powers for any casting that she didn’t like. It had taken her years to build up her credibility enough to earn the power but it was always worth it when she was able to stop her film from being  _ destroyed  _ by some hack whose only use was looking pretty enough that Hollywood could use them as a cash cow. 

At any rate, she was pleased and the ink was hardly dry on the contracts when she’d given them Tori Vega’s name with a confident smirk. 

The truth was, Jade had no idea if Tori would agree to audition or not. It had been years since they’d seen each other and they hadn’t been on the best of terms even then, after all. Tori hadn’t acted at all since they’d graduated, choosing instead to focus on her music career and, if Jade was honest with herself, that was part of why she’d written the role with her in mind. 

Although it pained her to admit it, Tori had always been a pretty good actor and it was infuriating to Jade that she was squandering the talent while Hollywood was overrun with talentless losers who weren’t worth the air they breathed on a set. 

As it turned out, Tori accepted the audition within hours of receiving the script and Jade exhibited no surprise at all when the studio called to tell her that she’d won the part with ease. 

With the lead cast, things started to move quickly and Jade soon found herself too swamped with work to spare a thought for seeing Tori again until, suddenly, it was the first day of rehearsals. She dressed quickly but carefully, checking her reflection carefully with a smirk as she tried to imagine how Tori would react to seeing her again. 

Other than a brief text message thanking her for the offer to audition and play the role, Jade hadn’t so much as exchanged a word with Tori Vega since the day she’d married Beck. She suddenly realized on the way to the studio, coffee in one hand, that she had no idea what to expect from her.

Arriving just on time for the table read, Jade strode confidently into the studio, ignoring how her heart was racing and her eyes darted towards every brunette she came across only to immediately lose interest when they weren’t Tori. She was busy checking out yet another one of those brunettes when she suddenly crashed into someone, her coffee immediately sloshing all over the other person and both their papers going flying. 

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” a familiar voice rang out, and Jade couldn’t hide her smirk as her gaze landed on Tori Vega at last. “ _ Jade _ ?” 

“Do you think we’ll ever have a meeting that doesn’t involve you ending up covered in coffee?” Jade quipped with a smirk, pulling a napkin from her pocket and trying fruitlessly to help get Tori cleaned up. 

“Was this whole movie just a set-up to dump coffee on me again?” Tori teased back with a smile, glancing down at her shirt. “I think you’re making it worse,” she chuckled, stilling Jade’s hand with her own. 

“Right,” Jade shook her head, making no move to move her hand as she stared at Tori openly. “You look good.” 

Tori blushed, making Jade’s smirk widen. “I can’t believe we let this much time pass without seeing each other,” she says with a rueful smile. “You look good, Jade. I’d hug you, but I don’t want to soak you too,” she laughed. 

“Just so you know,  _ that  _ one wasn’t intentional,” Jade teased. 

“I don’t know, seems to be a habit with you now,” Tori teased right back. “But we’re going to be late if we don’t get these picked up.” 

“Shit,” Jade grumbled, dropping to her knees alongside Tori and starting to sift through the piles of the script. 

“So how’s Beck doing?” Tori asked casually as they worked, entirely missing the way Jade’s body tensed beside her. 

“Fine,” Jade said shortly, feeling Tori’s eyes on her at her curt tone.

Tori hesitated before reaching out to gently touch Jade’s shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze when she allowed it. “We should have dinner,” she said softly, letting her hand drop as she resumed sorting through the papers. 

Having relaxed under Tori’s touch as she always had, Jade slowly nodded despite herself. She’d invited Tori here for a reason, she told herself, trying to quiet the voice telling her she was being an idiot, that showing weakness would leave her vulnerable. “I’d like that,” she said softly as they stood back up, scripts mostly in their correct order again. 

Tori’s face broke into a huge smile and Jade couldn’t help but return it. “Now come on, we better get in there,” the pop star nodded towards the direction they needed to head in with a silly smile. 

“I’m the writer and the director and you’re the star, Vega. What are they going to do, start without us?” Jade smirked.

“And there’s the Jade West I remember from high school,” Tori chuckled, rolling her eyes good-naturedly. “Give me your wrist.” 

Jade raised an eyebrow, hesitating for only a second before she held her arm out obediently, yelping out a laugh when Tori seized hold of it and used it to drag her down the hallway. “Tori!” she snapped, though the effect was entirely lost as she was still snickering at the bewildered expressions on those they were passing. 

Tori didn’t release her until they’d reached the conference room, giving Jade a smirk that rivaled her own, her eyes sparkling mischievously. “You’re not the only one who’s changed,  _ West _ ,” she told her before opening the door and walking into the room, all smiles and sweetness. 

Jade was left standing alone in bewildered surprise, her lips curved into a smile as she watched Tori work her magic on the room. It was going to be an interesting few months indeed. 


	3. Chapter 3

Although the idea of dinner with Tori Vega was exciting, it was also terrifying, Jade thought as she carefully re-applied her eyeliner and mascara. 

It had been two weeks since they’d met up again and filming had officially started today. There was something ironic about the fact that filming meant that Tori and Jade  _ finally  _ were having a chance to have dinner together after a jam-packed couple of weeks. 

They’d started off light though, Jade wanting to more or less get a feel for everyone’s chemistry and gauge how she wanted to go from there before starting to film heavily. Everyone knew that this early day was an exception though, her fierce reputation as a perfectionist preceding her, and they’d all decided to go out and celebrate. 

But Tori had turned down the offer, much to Jade’s surprise. Instead, she’d strolled right over to where Jade was sitting with a copy of the script, jotting notes with one hand and sipping her coffee with the other, and asked if they could have dinner. 

She’d agreed, and now here she was. They’d agreed to meet at seven and with a few hours to kill, Jade had taken a long, hot shower before blow-drying her hair and choosing an outfit. Since Tori had refused to tell her where they were going, she’d had no idea what to wear and went with the old adage that it was better to be overdressed than underdressed, picking out a form-fitting little black dress that showed off her cleavage. Pairing it with a pair of tights and heels, along with the necklace she never took off but Tori somehow hadn’t seemed to notice yet, she took stock of herself in the mirror once she’d finished reapplying her make-up. 

The years had been kind to Jade West, though she didn’t often see it that way. Time had only emphasized her beauty and, though she was still young, it was obvious to anyone who looked at her that she’d only continue to grow into her looks and become more beautiful with age. But even without believing any of that about herself, Jade still thought she looked hot. 

As for why she wanted to look hot to go out to dinner with Tori Vega, well. You never knew who you might run into in this town, she justified it to herself as she grabbed her purse and a jacket and went outside to wait for Tori. 

Or, so had been the plan anyway. To Jade’s absolute non-surprise, Tori was already waiting outside of her house, sitting on the front steps as she watched the pedestrians walk by. Rolling her eyes, Jade slowly crept up behind her and grabbed her shoulders with a scream, only her grip on Tori’s upper body keeping her from flying down the steps when she jumped.

Jade couldn’t help it, she lost it as Tori twisted in her grip to give her what was barely a passable glare. Her eyes were huge, her cheeks red and she was breathing heavily as she pressed a hand to her chest. 

“ _ Jade _ ,” she whined, pulling a pout that only made Jade laugh harder, eventually having to lean against the building to keep herself upright. “Jade, you scared the crap out of me!” 

“Still too easy, Vega,” she grinned, arching an eyebrow as her laughter finally stopped. “Now where are you buying me dinner from?” 

Whatever awkwardness Jade might have worried about had dissolved with Jade’s typical behavior, and the two women easily fell back into a familiar banter as they hailed a cab and rode to the restaurant. By the time they’d gotten there, they had gone over all of the bigger details of their lives, save one. 

“Already finding all of the hidden gems, huh, Vega?” Jade asked with a grin when the taxi stopped in front of a hole-in-the-wall restaurant that she’d taken a year to find, only to move away a month after. 

“You’ve been here before?” Tori asked with a warm smile. 

“Yeah,” she nodded. “Only a few times, back before Beck and I moved away,” she said. “I haven’t gone back since though.” 

“At least I know I didn’t take you someplace you hate,” Tori grinned, climbing out of the cab and holding her hand out to help Jade out. Jade smiled back, accepting her hand and letting Tori keep it as she pulled them into the restaurant. 

Soon they were seated, menus in hand and both were too busy staring at it to talk. But the silence was comfortable, nice even. It wasn’t like the silence that Jade had known with Beck in the months before their split, heavy with tension and forgotten promises. With Tori, the silence was easy and held unfulfilled potential that Jade didn’t quite know the meaning of but appreciated anyway. 

After they’d ordered, Jade took a sip of her wine and shot Tori a grin. She was almost alarmed at how easy the uncharacteristic action was becoming for her, but everything had always been easier with Tori. It was part of what had kept her pushing the other girl away in school, too afraid to try to figure out what it might mean. 

“So, how’s life as a pop superstar?” she smirked, leaning back in her chair. Definitely overdressed for the setting, she found herself not minding as Tori’s gaze kept drifting downward every time she looked at her. It was a strange feeling, but not one she wanted to fight anymore. 

“Oh, you know,” Tori chuckled, rolling her eyes, obviously trying to contain herself. 

“We’re not in high school, you know,” Jade laughed, rolling her eyes back at her. “I’m not going to threaten you with my scissors if you gush. Just don’t go overboard, I have a reputation to protect.” 

Tori’s face lit up at that. “It’s  _ great _ , Jade. I get to write my own songs and perform them for people who  _ get  _ them. Mason Thornesmith made it a pretty rocky road for a while, but eventually I got my breakthrough anyway,” she told her proudly. 

“How’d you manage that?” Jade asked with a raised eyebrow. 

She giggled. “You wouldn’t believe it if I told you.” 

Oh, now she had to hear this one. Leaning forward and resting her arms on the table, she smirked when Tori’s gaze dropped to her newly enhanced cleavage again before she hurriedly raised them, a faint blush painting her cheeks. “Now you  _ have  _ to tell me. Don’t tease me, Vega.” 

Tori groaned, the sparkle in her eyes telling Jade her heart wasn’t in it. “Okay, fine. I’d just had another person turn down even  _ taking  _ my demo. I’d been trying for a  _ year  _ by then, Jade, a whole freaking year! It was just the last straw and I got so mad and I just thought to myself, what would Jade West do?” 

Jade couldn’t help but smile, especially when Tori covered her face with her hands and groaned again. “Come on, you can’t stop the story there,” she goaded, reaching out to pull her hands away and keeping hold of one without conscious thought. “I have to know what Tori Vega thought I would do in that situation,” she smirked, certain that it wouldn’t be anywhere near the extreme she would have gone through. 

“Well…” Tori drawled out, grinning wildly at Jade’s impatient interest. “Do you remember that time Robbie was doing his stupid web show and exploiting all of us?” 

Jade’s eyebrow raised curiously. “Yeah…” 

“I did my  _ research  _ and found out when an electrician was supposed to be going in to fix a wiring thing,” Tori grinned. “I got Cat to disguise me and Sinjin got me the fake credentials to get into his office. Then I bugged it and even put up a couple of cameras,” she told her, looking extremely proud of herself. 

“Damn, Vega,” Jade smirked. “I didn’t think you had it in you.” 

Tori’s face brightened at the praise and she took a sip of her wine before continuing. “Eventually, I got him on camera berating and threatening another young artist for not conforming to his ridiculous standards and then I blackmailed him,” she grinned. “Have you noticed a lack of outrageous pop star stories over the past couple of years?” 

Jade’s face broke out into a smile at that, not even trying to hide how impressed she was. “Damn, Vega. Leave it to you to use blackmail for the greater good.”

“Impressed?” Tori grinned, thoroughly pleased with herself. 

“You know, I kind of am,” Jade smirked, watching as Tori’s smile widened until she just had to wonder how her cheeks weren’t hurting. 

The waiter chose that moment to bring the food over and Jade waited until after he left to give Tori a skeptical look. “When are you going to ask me?” 

Tori frowned, looked puzzled at her question as her fork hovered over her pasta. “Ask you about what?” 

Jade studied her for a moment, trying to work out if she was serious or not. But Tori, although a skilled enough actress, had never been a good enough one to fool Jade and she soon concluded that her confusion was real. She sighed, realizing that she’d let her own nerves get in the way and brought up the subject she’d hoped would stay dropped. “About Beck.”

“I didn’t want to push you,” Tori smiled, shrugging with a nonchalance she obviously didn’t feel. “I figured you get enough of that from the media and that you’d talk about it if you wanted. Do… Do you want to?” she asked, giving her an out as she took a bite. 

Jade took a bite of her own dinner, hoping to distract herself long enough to come up with an answer. But by the time she’d swallowed, she still wasn’t sure of anything but the utter appreciation she felt for Tori not pushing. Even when she didn’t answer, Vega had just started to eat her own dinner, seemingly content with letting her figure things out at her own pace. 

It wasn’t something she was used to and it made her want to talk. 

With another sip of wine for courage, Jade ate another bite before clearing her throat. “Do you want to come over to my place after this?” she asked, pointedly glancing around at the busy restaurant. She hadn’t been sure if Tori would pick up the unspoken message, but she was pleasantly surprised when Tori shot her a wink and nodded, taking another bite. 

“Sure, Jade. So, do you talk to any of the others anymore?” Tori asked with a warm smile, letting the topic pass without any awkwardness. 

Breathing another sigh of relief, Jade returned the smile with a smirk and nodded. “Yeah, but mostly Cat. I always knew she’d make it, but she’s almost as big as Idina Menzel on Broadway now.” 

“And we knew her when,” Tori teased with a wink. 

Jade snorted. “Yeah, because I’m not sitting here having dinner with Tori Vega, the famous pop singer whose last concert sold out within ten minutes of the box office opening.”

Tori’s eyes widened and she nearly choked on her food, hurriedly gulping down a glass of water as Jade chuckled from across the table. “You’ve been following me?” she asked when she could finally speak, her cheeks clearly tinted red and her eyes disbelieving. 

“Is it that hard to believe?” Jade smirked. “I did write a part for you in my movie, you know.” 

“Yeah, I was surprised by that too,” Tori mumbled, her eyes jerking up as she realized what she’d said. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean--”

“Relax, Tori,” Jade smirked. “I don’t blame you, I hardly believed it myself.” 

“So why did you?” she asked softly, setting her fork down and pushing the plate away from her, resting her elbows on the table and holding Jade’s gaze.

“It’s… complicated,” Jade settled on after a moment, shrugging. “I didn’t plan it or anything, I’m not a stalker,” she smirked, successfully lightening the mood. “I guess that I was annoyed that you weren’t acting when you’re better than half of the hacks out there.” 

“Oh,” Tori said quietly, looking disappointed. “Well, thanks. I’ve really missed it, you know? Acting, that is. I’ve just been busy.” 

“Tori…” Her name hung between them, disappointment still lingering in Tori’s eyes. Fuck. “I guess that I wrote it because part of me missed you too,” she finally finished, dropping her gaze to the table and realizing she still was holding Tori’s hand. She didn’t let go. 

“I missed you too, Jade,” Tori beamed, giving her hand a squeeze. “Should we go ahead and head back to your place? My boss has a reputation for being kind of a slave driver and we have an early call time tomorrow,” she winked, making Jade chuckle. 

“Yeah, probably a good idea. We wouldn’t want you getting in trouble with that  _ freak demon _ , now would we?” Jade grinned, tossing a few bills down and carefully getting up, mindful of her dress. 

“Oh my god, I can’t believe you remember that,” Tori laughed, standing up somewhat awkwardly due to her own short sundress. “You almost ruined my prome!” 

“Yeah, well, you had a giant freak in a diaper cart me off after crowning me  _ prome queen _ , Vega. I think we’re even,” Jade said dryly, leading the way out of the restaurant. 

“I never did apologize for ruining your play,” Tori said thoughtfully as Jade started trying to hail a cab. “I’m sorry that  _ Clowns Don’t Bounce  _ never got a chance to shine.” 

Jade snorted and opened the door of the cab that stopped in front of them, ushering a shiver Tori inside first. The temperature had dropped quite a bit while they’d been enjoying their dinner, but the air felt cool and nice against Jade’s skin, so she didn’t mind the bit of chivalry. 

“Yeah, well, I was a gank about it,” Jade shrugged. “It really wasn’t that good anyway,” she smirked as she gave the driver her address. “Jesus, Vega, didn’t you bring a jacket?” she asked when Tori wrapped her arms around herself, still shivering in the air conditioned cab. 

“I didn’t think I needed one,” Tori protested with a frown. “And it probably was good, Jade. Everything you write is.” 

Jade blinked slowly at the compliment, unable to help the slow smile that spread across her face. Shrugging her own jacket off, she handed it to Tori with an eye roll. “Thanks,” she mumbled, scratching the back of her neck awkwardly as Tori put the jacket on and wrapped it tightly around her. “But seriously, it’s whatever. High school’s over with, so if you can forgive me for being such a gank, then I can forgive you for fighting back sometimes,” she smirked, finding her footing again after a long moment. 

Tori laughed. “That’s fair, I guess. Are you sure you’re not cold, Jade?” she asked, watching as goosebumps prickled on Jade’s fair skin. 

“I’m fine.”

“Jade…” 

She sighed. “I’m a little cold, but we’re almost there. It’s  _ fine,  _ Tori,” she insisted when the other girl started to shrug the jacket off. “Seriously, you’re a lot scrawnier than I am,” she smirked, watching Tori’s mouth drop. 

“If you’re going to be like that…” she smirked, scooting over until their legs were pressed together. With one arm still out of the jacket, it was easy to put her free arm around Jade and pull her in close, wrapping the jacket as securely around her as she could. 

“If you wanted to make a move on me, you could have done it at the house,” Jade quipped, trying to hide how unnerved she felt by Tori’s proximity. This close to her, she could smell the fruit-scented shampoo Tori used, and she couldn’t help but notice how Tori tucked her head in the hollow of her neck, sighing comfortably. 

It was definitely a lot warmer too and that’s the excuse Jade used when she slid an arm around Tori’s back, resting it on her hip under the jacket. They stay cuddled together like that until the cab pulled up in front of the house, Jade moving away first and climbing out of the cab, letting Tori follow before she tossed a few bills at the driver and slammed the door. 

Jade unlocked the door quickly, ushering Tori inside before shutting and locking it behind her. She took the jacket when Tori handed it to her, tossing it over the back of the couch and gesturing towards it. “Make yourself at home. I’m gonna get a water, you want anything?” 

“Water would be great, thanks Jade,” Tori replied with a warm smile, sitting on the couch as Jade disappeared into the kitchen, returning a moment later with two bottles of water. Handing a bottle to Tori, she unscrewed the cap and took a long drink before closing it again and eyeing Tori warily. 

“What do you think is going on?” she asked curiously when the silence began to verge on unbearable. “You see the headlines and you know us, so I’m curious.” 

Tori shifted uncomfortably, picking at the label on the bottle as she averted her eyes. “Are you guys… not together anymore?” she mumbled. 

“Hmm, what makes you think that?” Jade questioned, biting back a smirk. She may have matured, but she was still Jade West and messing with Tori Vega was still just a bit too much fun to pass up. 

She groaned. “All of the pictures of you two… You barely touch anymore and, I don’t know, there’s just this distance between you, all the time,” she sighed, finally meeting Jade’s gaze. “Even after we left Hollywood Arts, you guys were like magnets. If you were in the same room, you were always touching in some way, always right beside each other. I don’t know, it just made me wonder…” She let her voice trail off as she frowned, taking a drink from the water bottle as she waited for Jade to say something. 

Jade was stunned into silence. She’d thought Tori might guess, but she’d never realized just how spot-on she would be. Hell,  _ Jade  _ hadn’t even noticed that when she saw their photos slapped on the cover of magazines, but now it seemed glaringly obvious. “Damn, Vega,” she muttered, raising an eyebrow when Tori glanced over at her. “I really didn’t give you enough credit in high school,” she chuckled. 

“Yeah, Beck and I are split up. We have been for a few months, but things were bad even before that,” she sighed. “It’s not his fault, really. We just… grew apart, I guess. Started wanting different things out of life, from each other, things that we came to realize we couldn’t give.” 

“So why the act?” Tori asked softly. “Are they making you…”

“Vega, you don’t seriously think anyone could make me do anything I didn’t want to do, do you?” she smirked. “That was rhetorical. No, we’re pretending to be married until Beck’s career is on better footing,” she admitted. “The break-up could be really bad for both of us and with the movie we’re making and Beck not doing as well as he’d like to be…” 

“I get it,” Tori nodded, giving her a sad smile. “It could hurt both of you a lot, but you’re worried about him, aren’t you?” 

“Yeah,” she sighed, running a hand over her hair. “He’s doing okay for himself, but we relied on each other too much, you know? He’s mostly worked on my stuff and now he has to try to build a reputation outside of that to keep working.”

“And you’re hiring me for your movie instead,” Tori half-teased, the genuine smile on her face easing Jade’s instinct to bite back. Jade knew that it was her way of telling her it was fine to change the subject if she wanted to and she appreciated it. 

Cracking a smile, she nodded. “Yeah. Who would have ever thought that we’d be sitting here right now?” she chuckled. “You didn’t even talk to me at the wedding,” she said, unable to disguise her hurt as she took another sip of the water. She hadn’t planned on saying that, but the words were out of her mouth before she could stop them and they were true enough, so she didn’t bother regretting them.

Tori stood up, slowly moving to sit beside Jade and put a gentle hand on her arm. “I know,” she said softly. “You just seemed so busy and nervous and we hadn’t talked since graduation…” She bit her lower lip nervously. 

“You were scared of me,” Jade sighed, leaning back and hardly noticing when Tori went with her. “That’s fair, I guess. I was just… I guess I was kind of hoping you’d calm me down with your annoying Tori optimism.”

Shifting, Tori rested her chin on Jade’s shoulder and smiled when Jade didn’t protest. “I’m really sorry I didn’t. Things were kind of… confusing back then. I didn’t know where I stood with anything or anyone, especially you. If I could do it over again, I’d definitely tell you how beautiful and confident you looked in that dress.” 

Jade snorted, turning her head slightly to look at her. “Yeah, well… I saw you in the audience. You looked kind of pretty yourself… from certain angles,” she grinned, watching Tori giggle on her shoulder. 

“I wish that I could stay here all night,” Tori sighed after a minute, her phone going off in her bag. “But I’d better go so I can get some sleep.”

“Yeah,” Jade agreed, waiting until Tori had stood before rising herself. “I’ll walk you out,” she told her, doing just that and hailing a cab for her. 

“Hey Jade?” Tori asked just as a cab pulled over, staring at her like she didn’t want to move even after Jade opened the door. 

“Yeah, Tori?”

“Thanks for tonight,” she smiled warmly, wrapping her arms around Jade and kissing her cheek before she was gone, climbing into the cab and closing the door behind her. 

Jade didn’t know how long she stood outside of her house holding her cheek and staring in the direction the cab had went before slowly trudging back inside. 

Having Tori Vega around was proving to be a lot more interesting than she’d expected, and suddenly she couldn’t wait for tomorrow.


End file.
